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Tyler Heineman

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Tyler Heineman
Heineman playing for the Fresno Grizzlies in 2015
Toronto Blue Jays – No. 55
Catcher
Born: (1991-06-19) June 19, 1991 (age 33)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 4, 2019, for the Miami Marlins
MLB statistics
(through June 24, 2024)
Batting average.216
Home runs1
Runs batted in15
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Tyler Andrew Heineman (born June 19, 1991) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the UCLA Bruins. The Houston Astros selected Heineman in the eighth round of the 2012 MLB draft. He has previously played in MLB for the Miami Marlins, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Boston Red Sox.

Amateur career

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Heineman attended the Windward School in Los Angeles. There, he played for the school's baseball team. He batted .490 as a sophomore (2007), batted .619 as a junior (2008; establishing the Windward School single-season batting average record), and batted .487 and earned first-team All-California Interscholastic Federation Division IV honors as a senior (2009) in addition to Delphic League MVP honors.[1]

Lightly recruited by college baseball programs, Heineman did not receive any scholarship offers. He enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he made the UCLA Bruins baseball team as a walk-on. He played sparingly as a freshman and sophomore, receiving eight at bats as a freshman, and batting .261 in 23 games as a sophomore. Heineman became the Bruins' starting catcher his junior year after starting catcher Steve Rodriguez and recruit Austin Hedges signed professional contracts.[2] He was named All-Pac-12 Conference[3] and a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award, given annually to college baseball's best catcher.[2]

Career

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Houston Astros

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The Houston Astros selected Heineman in the eighth round of the 2012 MLB draft.[3] He played for the Tri-City ValleyCats of the Low–A New York–Penn League after signing, and his .358 batting average led the league, while he ranked second in the league in OBP (.452) and OPS (.882).[4][5] He was a mid-season All Star, and an MiLB Organization All Star.[5]

He played for the Lancaster JetHawks of the High–A California League in 2013,[6] and the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Double–A Texas League in 2014. After the 2014 regular season, the Astros assigned Heineman to the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League.[7]

Heineman began the 2015 season with Corpus Christi, and received a midseason promotion to the Fresno Grizzlies of the Triple–A Pacific Coast League. He finished 2015 with a .285 batting average, three home runs, and 30 runs batted in. Heineman also spent 2016 with Fresno, where he batted .259 with three home runs and 14 RBIs.[8]

Milwaukee Brewers

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On March 26, 2017, during spring training, the Astros traded Heineman to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.[9] The Brewers assigned him to the Triple–A Colorado Springs Sky Sox, where he posted a .281 batting average with two home runs and 20 RBI across 199 at bats.[8]

In 2018, Heineman played in 78 games split between Colorado Springs and the Double–A Biloxi Shuckers, accumulating a .251/.360/.346 batting line with 4 home runs and 24 RBI. He elected free agency following the season on November 2, 2018.[10]

Arizona Diamondbacks

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On November 13, 2018, Heineman signed a minor-league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.[11] He opened the 2019 season with the Reno Aces, batting .325/.407/.525 in 80 at bats.[12]

Miami Marlins

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On June 3, 2019, the Diamondbacks traded Heineman to the Miami Marlins for cash considerations.[13] On September 3, the Marlins selected Heineman's contract.[14] He made his major league debut the next day against the Pittsburgh Pirates, striking out as a pinch hitter.[15] He recorded his first MLB hit on September 25; a pinch-hit double off Jacob deGrom.[16] Heineman hit his first career home run off Zack Wheeler on September 26.[17] On October 16, he was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to the Triple–A New Orleans Baby Cakes.[12] He was an MiLB Organization All Star.[5] Heineman elected free agency following the season on November 4.[18]

San Francisco Giants

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On January 6, 2020, Heineman signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants that included an invitation to spring training.[19] On July 23, his contract was selected to the major league roster. In 15 games for the Giants, Heineman batted .190/.202/.506 with 8 hits over 42 trips to the plate.[20] He was outrighted off of the 40-man roster on November 1, and became a free agent the following day.[21]

St. Louis Cardinals

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On November 13, 2020, Heineman signed a minor league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.[22] On July 1, 2021, after hitting .254 in only 77 plate appearances with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds, Heineman was released by the Cardinals.[23]

Philadelphia Phillies

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On July 3, 2021, Heineman signed a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies organization.[24] Heineman played in 20 games for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, hitting .274 with 6 RBI's. He became a free agent following the season.

Toronto Blue Jays

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On March 12, 2022, Heineman signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.[25] He was selected to the active roster on April 11.[26]

Pittsburgh Pirates

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On May 16, 2022, Tyler Heineman was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.[27] He played in 52 games for Pittsburgh, slashing .211/.277/.254 with no home runs and 8 RBI. On November 15, Heineman was designated for assignment by the Pirates after they protected multiple prospects from the Rule 5 draft.[28] On November 18, he was non-tendered and became a free agent.[29]

On December 12, 2022, Heineman re-signed with the Pirates on a minor league contract.[30] On April 4, 2023, Heineman was selected to the active roster.[31] He appeared in 3 games for Pittsburgh, going 1-for-9 with a walk, a stolen base, and a strikeout. On April 26, Heineman was designated for assignment by Pittsburgh following the promotion of Cody Bolton.[32]

Toronto Blue Jays (second stint)

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On April 30, 2023, Heineman was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Vinny Capra.[33]

Boston Red Sox

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On December 1, 2023, Heineman was claimed off waivers by the New York Mets.[34] The Mets then designated him for assignment on January 30, 2024[35] and traded him to the Boston Red Sox on February 2 in exchange for cash considerations.[36] Heineman was optioned to the Triple–A Worcester Red Sox to begin the 2024 season.[37]

He was added to Boston's active roster on April 21, when Triston Casas was placed on the injured list.[38] On April 23, Heineman was placed on the injured list with a right hamstring injury.[39] Following his injury, Heineman was sent to Triple-A Worcester.[40] On June 24, Heineman was recalled to Boston after catcher Connor Wong was placed on the paternity list.[41] He was optioned back to Triple-A Worcester on June 27.[42] Heineman was designated for assignment following the promotion of Zach Penrod on September 14.[43]

Toronto Blue Jays (third stint)

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On September 16, 2024, Heineman was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays.[44]

Personal life

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Heineman's younger brother, Scott, is a professional baseball outfielder. Their father, Steve, served in the Santa Monica Police Department.[45]

References

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  1. ^ "Tyler Heineman - Baseball". UCLA.
  2. ^ a b Peter Yoon (June 7, 2012). "Catcher Heineman a tower of strength". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Eric Sondheimer (June 14, 2012). "UCLA baseball walk-ons prove their worth". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  4. ^ Brad Kyle (January 31, 2017). "Spring NRI Astros, Pt. 3: C Tyler Heineman, Bruin Trouble For Pitchers". The Runner Sports. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "Tyler Heineman Stats, Highlights, Bio | MiLB.com Stats | The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com.
  6. ^ Jose de Jesus Ortiz (March 16, 2014). "Heineman, who was cut today, showcases Astros' strong catching depth". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  7. ^ George Vondracek. "On the Mark: Appel shines as Hooks blank RoughRiders in series opener". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Tyler Heineman Stats, Highlights, Bio". MiLB.com. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  9. ^ Jake Kaplan (March 26, 2017). "Astros trade catcher Tyler Heineman to Brewers". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  10. ^ "Minor League Free Agents 2018". baseballamerica.com. November 6, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  11. ^ Bob D'Angelo (March 4, 2019). "Diamondbacks' Tyler Heineman wows teammates with card tricks". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  12. ^ a b "Tyler Heineman Minor, Fall & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  13. ^ Isaiah Burrows (June 4, 2019). "Arizona deals master of cards Tyler Heineman to Miami". Carson City Nevada News. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  14. ^ Jordan McPherson (September 3, 2019). "A call up has him 'flooded with emotion.' He can make history in his Marlins debut". Miami Herald. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  15. ^ "Pirates Rally Past Marlins 6-5 In 9th". CBS Miami. September 4, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  16. ^ "Mets eliminated despite 10-3 win over Marlin". ABC 7. September 25, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  17. ^ The AP (September 26, 2019). "Marlins Hit 3 Late Homers To Beat Mets 4-2". CBS Miami. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  18. ^ Matt Eddy (November 7, 2019). "Minor League Free Agents 2019". Baseball America. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  19. ^ "Giants add longtime minor leaguer as option behind Posey". NBCS Bay Area. January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  20. ^ "Tyler Heineman Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
  21. ^ "Full List of 2020-2021 MiLB Free Agents". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  22. ^ "Cardinals Sign Tyler Heineman". November 13, 2020.
  23. ^ "Cardinals Release Tyler Heineman". July 2021.
  24. ^ "Phillies Sign Tyler Heineman". MLB Trade Rumors. July 6, 2021.
  25. ^ "Blue Jays' Tyler Heineman: Gets MiLB deal from Jays". CBSSports.com. March 13, 2022.
  26. ^ Franco, Anthony (April 11, 2022). "Blue Jays Select Tyler Heineman, Place Danny Jansen On Injured List". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  27. ^ Gorman, Kevin (May 16, 2022). "Pirates claim C Tyler Heineman off waivers, DFA Andrew Knapp". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  28. ^ "Pirates Add Endy Rodriguez, Mike Burrows, Colin Selby, and Jared Triolo to 40-Man Roster". piratesprospects.com. November 15, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  29. ^ "Pirates Tender Contracts to Kevin Newman, Five Others". pittsburghbaseballnow.com. November 18, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  30. ^ "Pirates, Tyler Heineman Agree To Minor League Deal". MLB Trade Rumors. December 12, 2022.
  31. ^ "Pirates' Tyler Heineman: Contract selected by PIT". cbssports.com. April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  32. ^ "Pirates' Tyler Heineman: Designated for assignment". cbssports.com. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  33. ^ Gorman, Kevin (April 30, 2023). "Pirates trade catcher Tyler Heineman to Blue Jays for minor league infielder Vinny Capra". triblive.com. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  34. ^ "Mets claim Tyler Heineman, Cooper Hummel off waivers". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  35. ^ "Mets Designate Tyler Heineman for Assignment". January 30, 2024.
  36. ^ "Red Sox Acquire Tyler Heineman, Designate Max Castillo". February 2, 2024.
  37. ^ "Red Sox announce latest roster cuts, including No. 8 prospect Nick Yorke". bostonherald.com. March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  38. ^ Roche, Conor (April 21, 2024). "Triston Casas placed on 10-day injured list with rib injury, Alex Cora remains 'concerned'". Boston.com. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  39. ^ "Red Sox's Tyler Heineman: Activated, optioned to Triple-A". www.cbssports.com. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  40. ^ "Red Sox's Tyler Heineman: Sent back to minors". CBSSports.com. June 5, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  41. ^ "Red Sox's Tyler Heineman: Elevated from Triple-A". CBSSports.com. June 24, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  42. ^ Transactions, Ari Koslow in (June 27, 2024). "Tyler Heineman optioned to Triple-A - Tyler Heineman News". FantasyPros. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  43. ^ "Red Sox call up independent league veteran Zach Penrod". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 14, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  44. ^ "Blue Jays Claim Tyler Heineman, Designate Brian Serven". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  45. ^ Daniel Archuleta (April 5, 2012). "Baseball: Brothers with local ties square off". Santa Monica Daily Press. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
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